Synchronizing device for duplex steam-engines.



PATENTED 001". 13, 1903'.

- \E. M. GORYELL. I SYNGHRONIZING DEVICE FOR DUPLEX'STEAM ENGINES.

-APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 22,1901.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 741,013. V PATENTED OCT. 1a, 1903.

v E. M. CORYELL. SYNCHRONIZING-DEVICB BOB DUPLEX STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATIOK FILED NOV. 22. 1901 N0 MODEL. ZSHBETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES Patented October 13, 1903;

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN M. CORYELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIeNoR To JULIA CAMERON, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

SYNCHRONIZING DEVICE FOR DUPLEX. STEAM-5ENGINES.

Q SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,013, dated October 13;,19Cl;

Application filed November 22, 1901. Serial No. 83,328. (No model) To allwhom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, EDWIN M. ,CORYELL, of the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Synchronizing Device for Duplex Steam-Engines, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

j This invention is a synchronizing device for duplex steam-engines. In such machines the two pistons work harmoniously, but the position of one is one-fourth of its cycle behind the position of the other piston, and if either member (on account of difierence in ment,as the controlled member; and my in vention consists in providing a synchronizing device which shall control the latter member automatically by automatically retarding its exhaust when its piston tends to travel too fast.

The invention consists, further, in the construction and arrangement of a preferred form of synchronizer and in certain details to be pointed out.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings,

that illustrate one embodiment of the-invention.

Figure l is a sectional plan view showing the arrangement of the synchronizer relative to the duplex engine and its connections therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a preferred form of synchronizer. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections viewed from the right through sectional lines III III and 1V IV of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section through one of the two small synchronizingpistons.

Referring to Fig. 1, the synchronizer O is located between the two steam-cylinders A and B, which constitute the duplex engine' controlled member. The exhaust from A passes through pipe A into the synchronizer O and thence out at opening F, and its passage is always free and unimpeded, whereas the exhaust from B passes into the synchronizer (through pipe B") and ultimately out at F. Its passage is normally unimpeded; but the passage of the exhaust from the mem ber B is susceptible of being impeded within thesynchronizer in a manner to be described.

This impeding action will be automatically brought about whenever member B tends to act too fast, so that (by this impeding) its movement is slightly retarded to maintain absolute synchronism between the two engines.

The synchronizer 0 consists of two small cylinders O and O, surrounded by aoasting that incloses a median zone divided into the two spaces F and F. The exhaust-steam from member A enters at f and passes up through space F and out freely at F. The walls of cylinders O C are pierced by two definitely-located sets of (annular) slots G GG and H H H, and (in the absence of the synchronizing-oylinders, which arenot shown in Figs. 3 and 4) the exhaust from engine B enters space F at f, then passes transversely across the cylinders 0' 0 (through slots G G G and H H H) into space F, and then outat opening F-that is, steam entering space F" passes up and to the right, Fig. 3, through slots G. It can also pass to the right and then up and to the left, Fig. 4, through slots H. Piston-valves in the cylinders O and O serve to impede when desired the passage of the exhaust through these slots, as will be described later. Each end of the small cylinders O (0") is connected'by a pipe 0 (c') to the A, as the standard and the other, B, as the adjacent steam-cylinder A (B,) the mouth of each pipe 0 (0) being located about one-fourth of the way from the cylinder-headthat is, about half-way between the cylinder-head and the opening of pipe A or B. These four small pipes serve to control the piston-valves in small cylinders O O in manner to be explained.

In cylinder C is a double-headed piston D, consisting of the two piston-heads D, that fit snugly within the cylinder and are united by a framework which carries the disks or valves (1 d, that are sufficiently thick to cover the slots, but are not of the full internal diameter of the cylinder, (so that they may impede the passage-way through the slots rather than entirely close the same.) The disks and cylinder-heads are so arranged relative to the slots that both slots G and H cannot be free at the same time and both cannot be simultaneously impeded. One is always free, while the other is always impeded. At one end of cylinder 0 is a stop L of about the same thickness as the disks and the intervening open spaces and the slots. In cylinder 0 is a double-headed piston E, identical with piston D, and a stop L is at the end of this cylinder opposite to stop L in cylinder 0, the arrangement of the heads E, disks '6, inter- Vening open spaces, and stop L being just the same with regard to slots G and 1-1 as in cylinder O, except the stop L is at the other end from the stop L in cylinder C.

On referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the piston D is at its extreme left-hand position slot G will be free and slot H impeded. In the middle position (that shown) slot G is impeded and slot H open, while at the extreme right-hand position slot Gwill be open and slot H impeded. Stop L prevents the piston traveling farther to the right. As to piston E block L prevents it traveling to the extreme left; but when at the farthest left-hand position possible slot G will be impeded and slot H free. At its middle position slot G will be free and slot I-I impeded, while at its extreme right-hand position (that shown) slot G is impeded and slot H free. Thus it will be seen that so long as one piston is balanced midway of its cylinder, while at the same time the other piston is at one end of its play, (either end,) there will be one free and. continuous passage-way, as in Fig. 2, through H H H; but if the two pistons are both in the middle position or if each is at the end (either end) of its cylinder both passage-ways G, as well as H, will be impeded. The control then is effected by providing that so long as the two engines A and B are Working in perfect synchronism the two small pistons D and E occupy their normal positionsviz., one in the middle of its cylinder, the other at one end of its cylinder; but the instant controlled member B tends to out travel its mate one of the two small pistons automatically becomes shifted into the same relative position as its fellow, whatever that may be, which thus serves, as just explained, to impede the exhaust of member B through slots G and H, and thereby to retard member B.

The automatic shifting will now be explained, referring again to Fig. 1. As stated in the outset, one of themain pistons, as A, is one-fourth of its cycle ahead of the other piston B-that is, when piston A is at one end of its cylinder (between the cylinder-head and the mouth of the nearer pipe 0) the other piston B is midway of its cylinder (between the mouths of its small pipes c c) and..when piston A returns to the middle of its cylinder A (between the openings of its pipes c c) the other piston B has reached the end of its cylinder, (between the cylinderhead and the mouth of its nearer pipe c,) and so on continuously, so that as long as the two members are working normally in harmony the piston of one cylinder will leave the mouths of its two small pipes, as o c, on the same side of the piston, (see A in Fig. 1,) while the piston of the other member will be between its two openings 0 c. (See B in Fig. 1.) Now in the position of A in Fig. 1 there is of course the same pressure in the two pipes c c, which acts equally upon the two heads D D of synchronizing-piston D to balance it in the middle of its cylinder 0, while in the position of B in Fig. 1, there being greater pressure hehind the piston B than in front of it, there is of course greater pressure through one pipe 0 than through the other, and thisinequality acts upon the synchronizing-piston E to force the latter to one end of its play, so that so long as the two main pistons A and B work harmoniously to keep their proper relative positions (one-fourth cycle apart) the two synchronizing-pistons D and E will normally occupy their own normal relative positions, (one balanced midway of its cylinder, the other at one end of its cylinder,) and, as already explained, one or the other of the exhaust passage-ways (G or H) will be unimpeded; but the instant the controlled member B outstrips standard member A, so as to occupy the same relative position with respect'to its small pipes 0, its small synchronizing-piston E is at once forced into the same relative position as the other synchronizing-piston B, which will impede both of the exhaust passage-ways G and H. Thisof course retards somewhat the unduly-accelerated travel of the controlled member, and thereby maintains the desired synchronism of the two members.

The mode of operation of the synchronizer will now be readily understood. The two main pistons are normally working in harmony, piston B being one-fourth of its cycle behind piston A. The two small synchronizing-pistons D and E are not in the same relative position, one being balanced midway of its cylinder and the other lying at one end of its cylinder, and vice versa. One or the other of the two exhaust-passages G and H is ISO unimpeded, and the exhaust from steam-cylinder B can pass out freely at opening F; but whenever piston B outstrips its mate, so as to occupy the same relative position in its cylinder, the steam-pressure in its two small pipes c a will bear the same relation to each other as exists between the two pipes c c of cylinder A. Thereupon the two synchronizing-cylinders D and E will at once occupy the same relative positions in their cylinders O and 0, both the two passage-ways G and H will be impeded, and the exhaust from cylinder B will be somewhat checked. Consequently the unduly-accelerated travel of piston B will be slightly retarded sufficient to restore (and maintain) the desired synchronism. Pistons D and E at once resume their normal relative positions.

To start the small pistons D andE from the ends of their cylinders and uncover the openings c and c, I provide at each end of the pistons a plunger I, having a head i, which will be forced out, as by a spring, when the steam-pressure on the other end of the piston is reduced. In place of a spring, however, I prefer to employ live steam for this purpose. A small pipe J leads from the steam-supply into a passage-way J in the casting between cylinders C and C, and the steam passes thence through ports j j into' the spaces in the heads D and E behind the head i of the plunger I. Since the surface of the piston-head D E is greater than that of the head lot the opposite plunger, the piston can be forced down against the pressure on the smaller plunger-head c'; but when the pressure on the opposite piston-head is removed then the plunger I is forced out or, what is the same thing, the piston D (or E) 'is started bodily back, and the pressure entering from the adjacent opening ofpipe c (or c) balances the piston. At K are indicated ports leading to the exhaust-passage and the open air to permit the plunger to be protruded.

Having thus fully described my invention and a preferred form in which it may be carried out, it will be understood that other synchronizing devices may be employed in the same relation to produce the same result and that the arrangement of parts may be varied or modified, and, further, that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the particular synchronizing device 0 set forth, since the latter is only a preferred embodiment of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a duplex engine, the combination of a standard member or engine, a controlled member or engine, and an automatic synchronizing device for retarding the exhaust from the latter whenever its stroke is unduly accelerated.

2. In combination with a duplex steam-engine, the herein-described synchronizing device comprising two small cylinders each having communication at each end with the adja'cent portion of its steam-cylinder and also provided with free communication from one to the other that constitutes a portion of the exhaust from one member of the engine, and a piston in each small cylinder aforesaid that is controlled by the pressure in the adjacent steam-cylinder while in turn it is susceptible of impeding said exhaust-passage.

3. In combination with a duplex steam-em gine, two steam-cylinders, two synchronizingcylinders provided with a normally open exhaust-passage from one of said steam-cylinders and leading through both of said synchronizing-cylinders, a double-headed piston in each of said synchronizing-cylinders controlled by the pressure in its steam-cylinder, said pistons arranged to each other and to the normally open exhaust-passage so that the exhaust-passage will be impeded whenever the two cylinders are abreast.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- Witnesses:

O. A. L. MASSIE, ELISHA K. CAMP. 

